A modern take on traditional Myconian architecture, boutique hotel Branco Mykonos offers bohemian-tinged style on the edge of one of the island’s best beaches. Running along the edge of Platis Gialos, the hotel sits comfortably with its sandy surrounds, making use of natural materials in earthy tones. A whitewashed exterior gives way to rooms with pale-wood furnishings and slate-grey floors, drawing attention to the bright turquoise of the Aegean – which also plays backdrop to the pool and pergola-covered restaurant. If that isn't enough inducement to forget the world for a while, there’s also a beach bar serving cocktails created by one of Athens' best barmen and a spa hut in which you can hear the waves lapping the shore.

Facilities

Need to know

Rooms

Check–Out

Prices

Double rooms from £353.04 (€396), including tax at 13 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional government tax of €4.00 per room per night on check-out.

More details

Room rates include breakfast from the à la carte menu, which includes traditional Greek dishes and a range of enticing sweet options.

Also

The hotel has its own shop, the Branco Boutique, which doubles as an outlet for Soho-Soho, Greece’s best-known fashion store. The selection has been carefully curated to go hand-in-hand with the Mykonos lifestyle: Dior sunglasses, Creed perfumes and Heidi Klein bikinis are among the offerings.

Our favourite rooms

Steps from the pool, Deluxe Sea View rooms have a private terrace with a breakfast table and a built-in day-bed; wooden screens on either side keep things private. Inside, the room is furnished with the hotel’s signature minimalism, showcasing poured concrete floors, untreated wood and white linen.

Poolside

The unheated, adults-only pool is set into the terrace, putting you as close to the sea as you can get without touching the sand. Shaded pool beds with dividing curtains run along one side, backed by palms and exotics. On the other, there’s nothing but sand and sea.

Spa

Spa treatments can be carried out in the treatment hut on the beach or in guests’ own rooms. The menu includes high-tech facials, aromatherapy treatments and a massage involving Tiger-clam shells. There’s also a range of fitness and wellness classes, many of which make use of the sea-facing terrace or the beach itself. There’s yoga, Pilates and meditation classes – or, for a more traditional workout, kick-boxing, cross-training and aqua sports.

Children

Food and Drink

Top Table

Aim for a table on the far side – you’ll have the best views of the sea.

Dress Code

Don your crisp white cottons, breezy linens and dark sunglasses.

Hotel restaurant

Set on a terrace overlooking the sea, Branco Mykonos restaurant is constructed from a forest of different woods, giving it a warm-toned and organic look that chimes perfectly with the sandy beach and whitewashed walls. The restaurant is covered by a timber pergola, which shades the dark-wood tables and pale mid-century modern chairs beneath it. The kitchen team is led by Aristotelis Zervas, who showcases the local ingredients and culinary traditions, but stirs enough creativity into his dishes to ensure they impress even the most well-travelled of palates. Standout offerings include the Wagyu beach souvlaki; the grilled shrimps with hot garlic butter and capers; and the goat’s cheese panna cotta with basil oil and cherry tomatoes.

Hotel bar

The hotel bar is on the edge of the beach, putting only a few yards between your lounger and an ice-cold drink. What’s more, the cocktail list was created by Vasilis Kyritsis, the award-winning bartender of Athens' most famous cocktail cavern, The Clumsies. For afternoon imbibing, try his Mediterranean Negroni, made with Skinos mastiha, blended sweet vermouth, raspberry, Campari and orange bitters. If it’s the morning after, chase your head-clearing swim with a Branco’s Mary, made with horseradish-infused vodka and homemade Worcestershire sauce.

Last orders

Breakfast is served from 8am to 11am; drinks flow at the beach bar from 8am to midnight.

Room service

Room service is available round the clock, with a limited menu running from midnight to 8am. The daytime menu includes a Greek salad with Santorinian capers and local throubi, and a grilled salmon fillet served with honey, soy sauce and sesame.

Location

Address

Branco Mykonos

Platys Gialos

Mykonos

84600

Greece

Branco Mykonos is on the edge of Platis Gialos, a golden beach in a quiet, residential part of the the island. Mykonos old town, with its wealth of restaurants, bars and boutiques, is 15 minutes away by car.

Planes

Mykonos International Airport can be reached from most European hubs; the frequency of flights increases significantly in the summer season. It’s a 10-minute drive from the airport to the hotel. Shared transfers are €20 a room each way; private transfers are €50.

Automobiles

Taxis are plentiful on Mykonos, but it’s useful to have your own set of wheels so you can explore the island at your leisure. There’s free valet parking at the hotel, too.

Other

SeaJets’ high-speed ferry service will zip you from Athens’ Piraeus port to Mykonos in two-and-a-half hours.

Worth getting out of bed for

Start the day with yoga – the aerial version if you’re feeling adventurous – on the beach, offering your salutations to the morning sun. Alternatively, book yourself in for a massage in the beach hut treatment room, where the sound of the the waves lapping the shore doubles the de-stress factor. During the summer season, the hotel’s resident DJs provide a mellow soundtrack to your poolside lounging; after dark, things get can get a little more lively (but always stay on the sophisticated side). For a change of scene, head into Mykonos old town, known for its stone-paved streets, whitewashed houses and bright-blue shutters. You’ll find a wealth of boutiques, cafés and restaurants (both low-key and ritzy) that lend themselves to drawn-out dinners. For a hit of contemporary culture, stop off at Rarity Gallery, an elegant exhibition space given over to contemporary art. It’s relatively compact, but the collection is wide-ranging, showcasing the work of established and emerging artists alike. For something far older, visit the Church of Panagia Paraportiani, standing since the 15th century. The building’s unusual shape is explained by the fact that it’s actually made up of five different churches: four are dedicated to saints, and the final, dome-like structure to the Virgin Mary.

Local restaurants

One of the island’s most sought-after beach clubs, Scorpios is a restaurant, artists’ community and bazaar all rolled into one. The atmosphere is mellow and the decor bohemian; the food showcases the best of a Mediterranean diet, and is eaten at communal tables in an open-sided tent by the sea. Loungers, daybeds and tables are all in hot demand, so be sure to book ahead. Hidden beneath shade-providing olive trees, Kiki’s Tavern overlooks Agios Sostis beach to the north of the island. Tucked behind a whitewashed church, it's a humble-looking place – but that doesn't stop diners from queuing for up to an hour before opening time, drawn by fresh seafood and tender meat cooked over the charcoal grill. That, and the fact that they give free wine to those who are willing to wait...

Reviews

Anonymous review

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this boutique hotel in Mykonos and unpacked their new sunglasses from the hotel’s boutique, a full account of their beach break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Branco Mykonos in Greece…

Branco Mykonos has an uncanny knack for making worldly worries fade into the distance. It’s only 15 minutes from the center of Mykonos old town, but sits on a stretch of pristine beach in a secluded pocket of the coast – one where morning yoga sessions and sunset cocktails win out over crowds. The sleek, minimalist design is soothing too: rooms have white walls, polished concrete floors, grainy-wood furniture and spacious terraces overlooking a sea of sparkling aquamarine. You can start the day with breakfast on your terrace, then transition to the splash-free adults-only pool, where floating day beds and an ambient soundtrack await. And if you arrive only to realise that you’ve forgotten your swimming gear, panama hat or sunglasses, you can be safe in the knowledge that you’ll find a fine replacement at the in-house boutique, an outlet of Greek luxury fashion store Soho-Soho. At Branco Mykonos, nothing has been overlooked when it comes to safeguarding your inner peace.